1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to games of chance. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for a N×N array poker card game.
2. The Prior Art
Both manual and video poker games are known in the art. These games, especially the video variety, garner much player attention at modern casinos. New variations of such games are sought after by casinos to provide additional entertainment and excitement to players.
One such game of late is embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873 to Moody. This video five card draw poker hybrid game presents two to three possible poker hands to a player. The player makes a wager on each row of cards. One row of five cards is dealt all face up. The player selects which of the five face up cards are to be held. Those held cards are then duplicated into the remaining hands. Replacement cards for the non-held cards are then dealt to the face up hand. Additional cards are also dealt to the other rows so that each row has five cards. The poker hand ranking for each row of cards is then determined and the player is paid for any winning hands based on a pay table and the amount of the player's wager.
Others have likewise attempted variations of draw poker to entice more play with varying degrees of success. Clearly, from the attraction of the variety of video poker games in modern casinos, players seem to want more from draw poker than just the old fashioned draw poker. However, prior art games are limited to but a few hands to wager on and the propagation of the same “hold” cards throughout the various hands. With casinos demanding ever more “exciting” games, additional games are still needed to provide the players with the variations necessary to continue their entertainment.